I.a difference, diversity (cf.: discrepantia, distantia, discrimen, diversitas, variatio—good prose, esp. freq. in Quint.).
(α).
With gen.: “honesti et decori,” Cic. Off. 1, 27, 94: “naturarum,” id. ib. 1, 31, 112: “morum,” Petr. 84, 1: “personarum, locorum temporumque,” Quint. 12, 10, 70: “nostri Graecique sermonis,” id. 9, 4, 146 et saep.—In plur.: “Graeci sermonis,” Quint. 11, 2, 50.—
(β).
With in: “quanta differentia est in principiis naturalibus,” Cic. Fin. 5, 7, 19; Quint. 3, 7, 25; 3, 8, 37; 7, 2, 48 et saep.—
II. Esp. a species: “genus est notio ad pluris differentias pertinens,” Cic. Top. 7, 31; cf.: “definitionem omnem ex genere et differentia consistere,” Gell. 4, 1, 10.